Then I saw it, the pulsing thread of shadow, and the tattered remnants of Riordan’s soul, drifting closer like embers on the wind.
Strong hands gripped my arms as Ryker tried to pry me away from his brother. I could smell the fear on him, sharp and acrid. I wanted to look at him, but I couldn’t. Every shred of my focus was on Riordan.
“Don’t,” Callum warned. “You have no idea what could happen if she breaks the connection.”
“You expect me to stand here and watch my wife kill herself and our child? I won’t lose them.”
The torment in Ryker’s voice was enough to make me falter. Was I being selfish by risking both our lives, our baby’s, and mine, on a desperate, dangerous hope?
Before I could find the answer, Riordan’s soul slipped beyond my grasp, and a surge of panic gripped me in a suffocating hold.
“You will not die. I won’t let you. Do you hear me?”
My vision blurred and my hands trembled as I fought against fate itself. I extended my magic, snatching Riordan’s life force once more as I dared to achieve the impossible.
The pain was exquisite. A million needles raked my insides as my soul stretched and tore; the agony almost dragged me under. Bile crept up my throat, and I battled the urge to vomit while pleading with my power to work faster.
My soul screamed, raw and visceral, as I thrust it towards Riordan’s, shoving threads of my very being into the hollow fragments of his. Every pulse of magic scorched me from within, and his soul writhed violently in response, sharp shards of his essence cutting through mine with every twist.
My entire body cried out in agony, burning and tearing, as I fused our lives together.
Then it snapped into place. A bond that rattled with each heartbeat, thrumming with life and vitality.
Riordan gasped, and I let my hands fall away as I slumped forward, drained and breathless. Fingers lightly gripped my chin, lifting my head and tucking the sweat-slicked strands of my hair behind my ear.
“I can feel you,” he said, the awe in his tone making my cheeks burn.
Next to me, someone shifted, and tension filled the air as the entire room seemed to come to a standstill.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
When I turned, the full force of my mate’s rage met me.
Chapter Seventy-One
Ryker
I was being an asshole.
I understood that.
My brother was alive, and Cadence had delivered a miracle. But my nerves were raw, and a storm of emotions raged violently through my veins.
The beast inside me stirred, claiming the moment.
Instinct drowned reason, driving me to shield my mate at any cost, even from the one I would sacrifice myself to save.
“Temptress?” I said through clenched teeth.
Cadence rose to her feet. She stepped toward me, placing her delicate hands on my chest, and I encircled her waist. The action was so natural I didn’t have to think about it.
Peering up at me from under her lashes, she said, “My father severed Riordan’s soul from his body, and to save him, I had to anchor it.”
I gave her a curt nod, letting her know she had my full attention.
Cadence swallowed, and my grip on her waist tightened. “The only way to do that was to tether his soul to mine.”
My mind raced to make sense of what she was saying. Then it all clicked into place. “You created a bond between the two of you.”
